Greenhouse construction.



I. RAP'P. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION, APPLICATION FILED DEO.12, 1910.

Pat n'td Dot. 7, E913.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

R. I. RAPP. GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12, 1910.

Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 21 TES rear GREENHOUSE OONSTBIUCSBION.

Specification o'f Letter-sl'aten't.

'naeeneeaeet. a, 1913.

Application filedlieeember 12, 1910. Serial 1250. 596,853.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROY I. Barr, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Greenhouse Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, Much as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the construction of greenhouses and other glass structures.

One of the objects thereof is to provide a simple, cheap and practically indestructible sash-bar free from decomposable elements requiring frequent painting or coating.

Another object is to provide an all metal structure having such elasticity that expansion and contraction will be wholly absorbed without subjecting the glazing medium to destructive breaking strains.

Another object is to produce a light durable building of the character described, in the erection otwhich time and cost will be reduced to a minimum.

A still further object is to provide a simple and practical fastening means for securing the glass to the structural frame and'to permit a slight relative movement upon expansion or contraction of these parts.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the iollowing claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown one of many possible embodiments of my invention, Figure l is a vertical crossin the structure section representing a portion of a .green-.

house structure, built according to his invention; Fig. 2 is a combined perspective and cross-section showing a metal sash-bar and the manner of the glass thereto; Fig. 3 is a detail view 0 the construction employed in joining the roof structure to a partition wall; Fig. 4 1s the gable construe cross-sectional view.

a similar view showing tion; and Fig. 5 is taken on the line X-X of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to simi the several views 0t sash-bars, to

lar parts tl" ughout the drawing 10, which may be secured by means of form of hollow attachin secured to the sill 1-0 by means of Thisinwention contemplates theuse' of con tinuous hollow metal sash-bars, preferably sherardized, galvanized or treated in any other suitable way, inside and out, to prevent rust and corrosion thereof, and comprising inclined and vertical portions with a curved intersecting eaves portion. The sash-bars reach continuous from the foundation to the ridge of the root or to the 1'1] per side of the ventilating sashes. The ass extends longitudinally from the sill plate to the said ridge between successive sash-bars and is connected to the sash-bars in a manner to be hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents one of the sash-bars formed of metal sheeting and comprising, as shown in Fig. '2, a substantially that portion 2, from which the metal is bent downwardly upon each side. As the two sides are alike, a description of one thereof is deemed suliicie'nt to give a full disclosure of the structure.

Extending downwardly from the edge of the portion 2 to a point 4 substantiallymidway of the depth of the a'r, is a plane surface 3 which, at 5, is pressed inwardly to provide a fastening channel '6. From the. point t the metal is bent outwardly and to a slight extent upwardl to form a shoulder 7, the pur. ose of which will be hereinafter describe and then the metal is bent again in a plane parallel to the portion 3. At the lower extremity the sheet is bent outwardly and upwardly to form a condensation roove 8. Each sash-bar isbent longitu inally in the form described above, the inclined portion providing the upper framework or root of the greenhouse structure, the vertical part the side, and the connecting curved part is disposed at the point usually occupied by .the eaves.

9 indicates the foundation, of any and surmoun'ting the same is a cast iron s11 v bolts 11 anda steel strap 12 co-the grout, filling the spacebetween the said sill and the top of thefoundation. Each sash-bar is rigidly a 'cas iron lug 13, which is provided with a. persuitable composition or const -uctioni" which may be c 3 tion adapted 'to tit snugly between the sides of the sash-bar and to be secured thereto'by means 0% a bolt fi t, The lug is secured to the sill by means of a bolt 15. Wherever suitable, separator blocks 16 are bolted to the which are attached, respec- 'is secured to seen that the edges of the adjacentg'la tivei v, the transversely extending purlins l7 and the nngleircn purlins 18. The latter members, occupying the same relative position upon opposite sides of the structure, are joined. Toy tiearods 19, which constitute an ad justnhle means for joining together the on posing members.

in Fig. l are shown ventilating sashes, e ch comprising; a hollow metal bottom rail and a hollow metal top rail 21. Connecting these rails are saslhhars resembling in form those already described, by means of which the glass of the ventilating sash held in position. Passing through the upper roll are narrating members which irm/ids a rigid hotly, through which passes a bolt 24;, by means of which the said rail hinged butt 25, one half of which is bolted to the cast iron her This ridge n'leniber extends down Wardly below the ventilating s rail and supports cast iron ridge bracket the upper; ends of the sash-lmrs l are liolted. Cl 1e lower rail the ventilating sash upon a hollow metal vent header 28, which shown in cross-section in F1 1. and in longitudinhl section in Fig. 5. 01" these headers are cut to fit snugly against the respective sash-bars, between which they extend, and. are fastened thereto by means of cast iron header lugs 29, which are im-med to fit within the vent headers and to he bolted against a side of the sash-bur. These headers which are substantially rectangular in c.ross-section with the lower side open, are provided with Ul'flllll'lliitl edges, forming troughs and groove or channel which ccives the upper ends of the sheets of g in contact therewith. The upper side is e provided with a groove 30 which serve o carry off any water collecting bene'atl'i the ventilating sash.

The manner of securing the gla' ilo/lies or glazing medium 32 is host sh we in Fig. it being understood that the glass extends continuousfrom the foundation to the ventiloting sash header and that each strip thereof, occupying the space between my two successive root or sz'lsh-burs, may he composed of as many separate sheets as may e iiouud desirable, glass oi suitable curvature being;- provided to match the curvature of the sashiars at the eaves. It will. he

plates or sheen; are abetted so'that the lower e I of each plate will. la n over the upper edge of one .1 ad acent plate, as is usual in greenluiiuse construction. it is to be noted that in securing the glues to the sash-l ars the use of nails or other driven members completely eliminahid, thus renmving one of. the causes which tend toward glass breakage, particulurly during the glazing opera.

.tlon, it lining exceedingly dil'licult to drive nulls in :i plum: rmrallel with the glass, as

ridge inem- 27 to which .lhe ends of each I I and exert n firm hut resilient pressure upon the glass.

It will be obvious from a consideration of the elun'acter of the metal members and the manner in which the class plates are secured thereto that the glass breakage and other ill eilccts occasioned by expansion and contrac tion of the various members under varying Weather conditions will he reduced to a minimum, for the metal members provide elasticity Within themselves and the spring clips permit of a limited relative movement of the glass with respect to the metal sushbars, thus effectively attaining this desired end.

It will he noted that at the overlapping joints'oi' adjacent plates, spring clips are employed which are out nwe'v to press evenly upon both plates, as clearly shown at 36 in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 3, which partition construction, there is represented by l discloses a of slightly diherent form having a portion 37 against which a relatively perpendicular sashdiar l oriented to abut, and provided with downwardly extending portions 38 and 39 between which is positioned the upper end of the lug it). A bolt 4-1 passing through the said lug" and the portions 38 and securely bind, the l u and liar l together, and. the lower portion of the lug, which extends dcwnwimillybetween the sides of the ll-liar 1 is secured thereto by means of bolt 42. This construction onsWers the purpose of holding the glass of the roof and the partition in angular rcl:1

tion to each other. The gable construction shown in Fig. is of a similar character, one side of the nieinhcr l providing a support the edge of the glass forming the root and the other side of said n'ielnhcr heinn; formed to extend out and overhung the glass Qllnllfil'llll of the structure, as shown at it will he soon from the foregoing that, in following out this invention, :1 st 'ucture is provhtled which is Well adapted to attain, among others, all ol the ends and objects lnnrcinheforo set forth, in a thoroughly ellicient and practical manner and it may also he noted that because of the light construclion employed, a minimum quantity cl light he obstructed, n from u value of the a roof member or sash-bar v wherein the use of wood is entirely elimi- 'tion could he made Without departing from otness v invention What It by Letters noted that the strength and durability oi the structure is greatly increased by the use of hollow metal bars in accordance with the disclosure of this invention; and the ncocluction of an inexpensive all metal ancl' glass greenhouse constinctlon is attained,

Having lescriimcl my claim as new and; desire to secure lntent is:

in greenhouse construction in combine tion, an integrsl hollow metallic arched sash bar, each side of the arch being nrovieletl with intermeiiiste shoulders inclined to the adjacent portion of the arch, parallel concave clip retaining" channels intermediate natecl.

As manv changes'could be made inthe above construction anti many apparently Widely different embodiments of this inveneach entl of the arch being formed with an upturned portion providing a condensation trough, and spring clips each having a flat portion adaptes to press against the article to be held, 8116. each comprising arms for engaging said retaining" channels.

In testimony whereof I. affix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

not i. nnsn the scope thereof, it is intended. that all mat ter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to heunclcrstoocl that the langimge used in the following" claims is'in-tended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described anti all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter oi lan guage might be said to fall therehetween.

Witnesscst' J. Tiioiison,

L A. WATSQN.

the upper ancl lower nortions of the arch, 

